Bed bugs are really small, we would even say tiny, but these bloodsucking parasites can cause tons of troubles to you once they end up in your house and in your bed in particular. Since they only feed on the blood of humans (well, mostly humans), it is important to be able to spot them in time before the colony spreads!
But how do you catch bed bugs early enough?
We will provide you with a few handy tips and life hacks that will help you to not just quickly find bed bugs during the day, but also successfully get rid of them.
We will also share a list of their favorite hideouts with you, so read on since there is going to be a lot of useful information today!
Related: Small Black Bugs in The House | Detailed Guide
How to Find Bed Bugs In Your Bed During the Day?
Since bed bugs are nocturnal creatures, it may seem to you that it is nearly impossible to track and find them in the daytime.
However, this is not quite so.
Indeed, bed bugs are tricky to spot in broad daylight, but with just a little effort, you can spot them and fix the issue.
So to successfully track them, we recommend you grab your flashlight first of all to be able to hunt these parasites in the corners of your bedroom that are out of reach of sunlight.
And once you are equipped, you will have to search for the following signs of bed bugs infestation that will clearly show you their presence even if you don’t see them right now:
- bed bug stains on sheets that are their droppings and have the size of a marker dot
- reddish brown stains on mattress covers (the result of them being crushed while you were sleeping)
- adult bed bugs that are nearly as big as apple seeds
- bed bugs eggs or nymphs
- inspect yourself for any traces or bites
Decide on what sections and places should be inspected first, and make sure you turn each mattress over and look into each corner!
Yes, that might be tiresome, but this way, you will be sure that not a single place in your bedroom is left without your attention and inspection.
Related: How Long Can Bedbugs Live Without Food?
Bed Bug Hunt Step By Step
Above we have described a brief sequence of actions needed for spotting these bloodsuckers in your house, and now we will provide you with a more detailed guide on what to do to find these critters and where to look for them.
So what does the bed bug hunt consist of? Start with inspecting your bed sheets and mattress.
Remove the sheets off the bed and put them into a plastic bag. Later, transfer them directly into the washing machine barrel to avoid spreading the pests around the house.
The next step is to lift the mattress carefully and check its sides paying more attention to its corners and around the edge rather than in the center. In case of a severe infestation, you will see plenty of evidence of bed bugs, such as old shells, bed bugs’ eggs, bead pests, fecal matter, etc.
Next, inspect the furniture around the bed.
Of course, bed bugs usually prefer mattresses, but if you have just brought several parasites in with you, they might have headed off in a few different directions.
In particular, pay special attention to the furniture that is made of wood because it typically has cracks and joints that these beasts like very much as hideouts.
When inspecting the furniture near your bed, make use of the following tips to spot the bugs easier:
- Don’t move anything in or out of the room. It will help you to avoid spreading the parasites all around the house.
- Inspect the cabinets and bedside tables as well.
- Look into the cracks between the legs of the furniture and the carpet.
- Take out all the drawers, and inspect the all around paying more attention to the underside.
- Turn the pieces of furniture upside down when possible to search for the bed bugs traces.
Like this, you will surely not miss out on any spot where these bloodsucking critters may hide.
How to Inspect Your Couch For Bed Bugs Infestation?
If you have recently bought a couch (and especially if it is an old couch that you got from a neighbor or a friend), you might want to inspect it for any traces of bed bugs. To do this successfully, you will need to undergo a few simple steps:
- If the couch cushions are removable, take them off. Check them from top to bottom, especially all the zips and piping. Remember to unzip them and look inside as well to be sure there are no bed bugs in there.
- Check the area where the couch cushions were before.
- If you can, turn the couch upside down and check its wooden or metal frame underneath. This is the most favorite hideout for these pests!
And even if these critters usually prefer staying in your beds, it is better to inspect the couch as well just to be sure it is bugs-free.
Do Bed Bugs Come Out In the Daytime?
Usually, these critters prefer to hide during the day and they only come out when the night comes. Since they are nocturnal creatures, bed bugs are active during the night when it’s time for them to feed.
However, if they have lived way too long without having a host and they are really hungry, they can come out in broad daylight or when the lights are on in order to take a bloody meal.
How to Find Bed Bugs Eggs During the Day?
Adult bed bugs are very small, usually being the same size as an apple seed. And of course, their eggs are even smaller! Usually they are half the size of a rice grain and they can be found in the areas that are not easy to move or disturb.
It is indeed rather difficult to spot the eggs of the bed bugs since they are pearly white and very small, but still it is possible to do.
See, these parasites lay eggs in clusters, so finding those is somewhat simpler than looking for one tiny bed bug’s egg that is smaller than a rice seed!
Where Do Bed Bugs Hide During the Day?
Since these bloodsucking parasites are nocturnal creatures and they come out and feed during the night, you might be wondering how it is possible to spot them in broad daylight at all. And what is even more important, where you are supposed to look for them.
That makes sense since when you know for sure not only what to search for, but also where to search, it will significantly save your time.
Regarding the bed bug infestation, you probably know that these parasites tend to stay no farther than eight feet from their host.
Nevertheless, it does not mean that these tiny critters can’t be found in the nooks and crannies of your bedroom!
So to spot them in your sleeping area, make sure you inspect the following places:
- first and foremost, start with your bed
- inspect your pillow and mattress, especially along the seams and underneath the mattress tags
- don’t miss the crevices as well
- look for them on the cracks, corners, and headboard of the bed frame
- inspect the insides of the crevices of the walls nearest to your bedroom
- check along the gaps of baseboards
- remember to search for them on the furniture you have in your bedroom (chairs, couches, dressers, cabinets, nightstands, etc)
- sometimes they can hide inside electrical receptacles and outlets
And if you have a really bad infestation, you can even see bed bugs clustering on your walls and along the ceilings. And remember that, if you find bed bugs infestation inside of any electrical appliances or outlets, you should call a professional electrician in order to avoid any accident.
How to Trap And Kill Bed Bugs?
You might think it is impossible to do, but there are tools that can help you with not just trapping, but also with killing bed bugs. See, there are two types of traps that you can use for this purpose. One is called a passive trap and it passively collects bed bugs without luring them in.
On the other hand, there is another kind of trap that is called active. This one lures the bugs in.
To give you more detail, a passive trap sits somewhere that bed bugs are likely to walk through.
They can easily get in, but they will not be able to get out after that. The best kind of passive trap fits around the legs of your bed, and it has a little bit of water in it. When getting into it, bed bugs will quickly drown in even such a small amount of the liquid.
As for the active traps, they lure the bed bugs in.
These traps make use of carbon dioxide and warmth to pretend to be a sleeping host. The bug clambers on in in search of a bloody meal, and it can’t get out anymore! Again, just like passive traps, these ones may also contain a bit of water in them to drown the pests.
These traps are good to use in order to catch bed bugs during the daytime. Like this, you will be able to approximately tell how many of them you have around and thus define the level of infestation.
Related: Can Bleach Kill Bed Bugs?
Alternative Methods Of Spotting Bed Bugs
Well, not methods, but rather a method which is quite unusual, by the way. We mean hiring a bed bug sniffer dog! These dogs are specially trained to hunt for bed bugs. It is best to use them when you are absolutely sure your house is infested, but you can’t find them on your own.
However, not every dog can sniff bed bugs! These dogs are specially trained, just like snow dogs or service dogs, and they work at about 90 percent accuracy rate. If you want to find a dog like this, you’d better search for it on the internet to see whether there are services around in your area.
Well, this was all that we wanted to share with you today on the issue of having bed bugs in your home. Of course, finding the traces of these parasites in your bed is far from a happy thing, but we recommend you stay calm and don’t fall into panic!
First of all, inspect your bedroom and the rest of the house or apartment using the search tips that we provided you with.
Also, inspect yourself for the signs of bed bugs’ bites. And if you do spot the pests or you find their bites on yourself, try to get rid of them with the traps first. In case you can’t find the bugs on your own no matter how you try, you might want to hire a bed bug sniffer dog!
However, if the infestation is really bad and it has spreaded all around the house, the only way out is to call a specialist to have your home disinsected.
[wp-faq-schema title=”Frequently Asked Questions”]
